The Liverpool manager says his side will try to play their upcoming matches “once at a time” and resist the urge to look ahead.
When the whistle blew on Liverpool’s victory over Nottingham Forest, a rather daunting April schedule was confirmed for Jürgen Klopp and Liverpool as they look ahed to the stretch run of a league title race, a Champions League quarter-final, and FA Cup semi-final.
For Klopp, the goal will be to not get caught looking ahead and to take each game one at a time, treating each outing as its own cup final needing to be won either to stay in Europe or the FA Cup or in order to keep pace with City and their nigh on limitless resources.
“We start with Watford, Benfica, then City, City, United, Everton,” Klopp said, listing off the upcoming opponents for his quadruple-chasing Reds. “From a Liverpool perspective these are all massive games, so we will try to play them once at a time and not all together.”
The first City match is in the league and immediately followed by the second Champions League match against Benfica, and in both cases anything less than a win in the previous games against Watford and Benfica could render what comes next largely meaningless.
Then, after facing their title rivals in the league, they know that will have to get past Pep Guardiola’s men a again in order to make the final of the FA Cup—which given their quality, Klopp says he isn’t especially surprised by as you’d expect to face them sooner or later.
“The further you go in whichever competition, it is likely you will face City at one point,” he added. “Also this year that you will face us at one point. I don’t think we are the dream draw for anybody. It will be a tough one, but we have to make it tough for City as well.”
